“Dear children, keep yourselves from idols.” I John 5:21. We won't focus solely on a negative command that concentrates on a “do not do” aspect of living. Consider God. He is Creator, Father, Lord, Redeemer, Holy. As Paul spoke to the philosophers on Mars Hill to direct their minds and eyes to Jesus Christ, he declared to them that their creation of the idol “To The Unknown God” was actually pointing them to Theos, the One True God. Similarly, if we want to have a faith that works, we must first look to Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. We must “fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen.” I Cor. 4:8. Faith is the gift of the gaze of the soul upon God, which leads us to become “workmanship created in Christ Jesus to do good works.” Eph. 2:10

Idolatry can be cured with right understanding of God, correct worship of God, and accurate understanding of self from God's perspective. As we stay in tune with Father God through the ministry of His Word, His Spirit, and His church, we are less inclined to move towards idols. Yet even with right understanding and worship of God, think of all the temptations towards idolatry. Even our country's Declaration of Independence includes idolatry, defined as “rights.” Who are we to say that we have the “right” to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness? Certainly, every human has the desire for those gifts and blessings of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. That desire in itself is not wrong; however, one definition of an idol is anything that has gone from a desire, to an expectation, to a demand. Whatever we demand has become an idol. Jesus said “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon (money, wealth, riches, property, or possessions).” Matt. 6:24. Anything that we serve apart from God places us AGAINST God. Peter tells us that “a man is a slave to whatever has mastered him.” I Pet. 2:19. Or consider the sober weight of Jesus' words “He who is not with me is against me, and he who does not gather with me, scatters.” Luke 11:23.

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A Faith That Works

For the past few years, I have occasionally written articles under the heading "A Faith That Works", for our congregation. These are mostly related to practical Christianity. Recently, we have merged them into blog format. Feel free to read and respond at your discretion. May God direct you to love Him and to love others! Rich Schwartz